Oh, that route to the rink is a gorgeous one — I know exactly where you mean, and it must be so glorious to glide through there, especially in nice weather! And I totally agree with you about travelling between places on your own steam (in my case walking, cycling in yours) — it clears the head and helps settle the emotions, and I find it puts me in the right frame of mind to start work (or to leave difficult parts of work behind at the end of the working day).